Adjustable sleeve for dresses



Jan. 15, 1957 c. KELLER 2,777,132

ADJUSTABLE SLEEVE FOR DRESSES Filed March 29, 1954 IN VEN TOR. CLARIS KELLER BY United States Patent ADJUSTABLE SLEEVE FOR DRESSES Claris Keller, Union, N. J. Application March 2 9, 1954, Serial No. 419,525

4 Claims. (Cl. 2-270) This invention relates to wearing apparel and, more particularly, has reference to an adjustable sleeve for dresses. l

An important object of the invention is to provide a sleeve having pleats or folds that can be removed whenever desired, so as to facilitate washing of the sleeve and permit the sleeve to *be pressed or ironed while flat. In this way, it is proposed to render easier the task of ironing the garment, since heretofore, the ironing of pleats has always been difiicult, time consuming, and tedious.

Another object is to permit the pleats to be gathered to a selected, adjusted, extent, to better fit the sleeve to the arm of the particular wearer.

Still another object 'is to permit the pleats to be gathered in a selected number, so as to increase the versatility of the arrangement constituting the invention.

A further object of the invention is to cause the pleat gathering means to be invisible when the dress or blouse is worn, thereby to insure that the invention will not detract in any way from the appearance of the garment.

Yet another object is to provide, on the interior of the sleeve, a number of spaced loops which are usable in selected number to form a corresponding number of pleats, and to provide, in combination with said loops, a tie that is anchored at a selected location along its length to the sleeve, so as to always remain attached to the sleeve in a predetermined position relative to the loops.

A further object is to provide .a pleat-forming means as stated that will be decidedly inexpensive, and will be capable of being embodied in a garment sleeve with a minimum of difiiculty.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view showing the sleeve applied to a dress and illustrated as it appears when worn with the pleats gathered.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the sleeve, before the pleats are formed, an adjacent portion of a garment being illustrated fragmentarily.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 in which the pleats have been formed.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken substantially on line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 in which an extra pleat has been formed.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view, still further enlarged, on line 7-7 of Fig. 4.

The sleeve constituting the present invention has been generally designated 10, and has been shown applied to a garment 12, which could be a blouse, dress, or other item of wearing apparel.

2,777,132 Patented Jan. 15, 1957 "ice The sleeve includes a tubular body 14 of fabric, one end of which is attached to the sleeve opening of the garment, the other end being formed with a conventional hem 16 held by stitching 18 extending circumferentially of said other end. In some instances, the hem may be omitted in favor of some other type of well known arrangement for providing a finished edge on a portion of a garment.

Spaced circumferentially of the interior of the sleeve, adjacent the lower or outer end thereof, are fabric loops 20. These could be extended through the entire circumference of the sleeve if desired, to provide pleats or gathers extending correspondingly, through said entire circumference. However, it is desirable that the series extend atleast through a part of the circumference as shown, said part being that remote from the garment 12 proper.

Loops 12 are each arranged longitudinally of the sleeve, as shown in Fig. 7, and at their lower ends can be engaged in the hem by the stitching 18. The upper ends of the loops are held by the stitching 22.

Passed through the several loops is a tie 24 formed of a length of ribbon material or cording. The tie, intermediate its ends, is anchored permanently to the body'of the sleeve adjacent one of the loops, by a single stitch 26 (Fig. 7). This causes the tie to remain with the sleeve at all times, without danger of its being lost while the garment is being Washed.

It is to be understood that this adjustable pleating arrangement may be applied to garment pockets, and garment neck openings.

In use, the tie is passed through a selected number of the loops. For example, it is passed through all but one of the loops, in all figures of the drawing except Fig. 6. As a result, when it is drawn tight, and knotted in a bow as in Figs. 1, 3 and 5, it will form two pleats 28, side by side, extending longitudinally of the sleeve along the outer side thereof. If the tie is passed through all the loops (Fig. 6) three pleats will be formed.

When the dress or blouse is to be Washed and ironed, the bow is untied, and this causes the pleats to disappear. The sleeve will now appear as in Figs. 2, 4 and 7, and may be washed and ironed while flat, with a minimum amount of difl'iculty.

It is an important characteristic of the invention that the tie is always properly positioned relative to the loops, due to its being anchored to the sleeve adjacent a selected one of the loops. Further, the tie is not visible when worn, and thus does not detract from the appearance of the garment. Still further, the tie can be pulled tight to a selected extent, thus to contract the sleeve no more than is found comfortable and attractive so far as the particular wearer is concerned.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be undersood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1. A. sleeve having an adjustable size arm opening, comprising a tubular body adapted at one end to be attached to a garment and forming an arm opening at the other end thereof, means for adjusting the size of said arm opening and forming outwardly extendingornamental pleats along and on the outer surface of said tubular body and comprising a plurality of loops spaced along the inner surface of said tubular body adjacent to said open ing, and a tie extending through said loops for drawing the same together to fit said opening to the arm of a '3 1,; wearer and form ornamental pleats in said tubular body according to the extent to which said loops are drawn together.

2. A sleeve having an adjustablesize arm opening, comprising a tubular body adapted at one end to. be attached to, a garment and forming an arm opening at the other end thereof, means for adjusting the size of said am opening and simultaneously forming ornamental pleats extending longitudinally along said tubular body and comprising a plurality of loops connected to the inner surface of said tubular member and spaced about and adjacent to said opening, and a tie extending within said tubular member through, selected ones of said loops for drawing the same together to fit said opening to the arm of a wearer and simultaneously form ornamental pleats in said tubular body according to the extent to which said loops are drawn together.

3. A sleeve having an adjustable size arm opening, comprising a tubular body adapted at one end to be attached to a garment and forming an arm opening at the other end thereof, means for adjusting the size of said arm opening and. simultaneously forming ornamental pleats extending longitudinally along said tubular body comprising a plurality of loops connected to the inner surface of said tubular member and spaced about and adjacent to said opening, and a tie extending entirely within said tubular member through at least two of said loops for drawing the same together to fit said opening to the arm of a wearer and simultaneously form ornamental pleats in said tubular body according to the extent to which said loops are drawn together, said tie being anchored intermediate the ends thereof to said tubular member.

4. A sleeve having an adjustable size arm opening, comprising a tubular body adapted at one end to be attached to a garment and forming an arm opening at the other end thereof, means for adjustingthe size of said arm opening and forming outwardly extending ornamental pleats along and on the outer surface of said tubular body and comprising a plurality of loops spaced along the inner surface of a segment of said tubular body adjacent to said opening, a tie extending through selected ones of said loops for drawing the same together to fit said opening to the arm of a wearer and form ornamental pleats in said tubular body according to the extent to which said loops are drawn together, and means for anchoring said tie with respect to one of said loops.

ReferencesCited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,492,396 Perlitch' Dec. 27, 1949 2,510,665 Sonnenberg June 6, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 11,094 Great Britain July 1, 1899 148,295- Austria Ian. 11, 1937 

